"They just said it was a competitive decision and that everyone was open, so we will be too," Rohr added. "I said, 'Why can't we be the company that stands up and says we care about our employees, and let them have the day off?' "

He has not been in touch with the chain since his termination, he said.

On Wednesday evening, Pizza Hut issued a statement on its corporate Facebook page saying the company regrets what occurred in Elkhart and is evaluating the situation. "We respect an employee's decision not to work on a holiday if they so choose, which is why the vast majority of Pizza Huts in America are closed on Thanksgiving," the company said, in the statement. The Pizza Hut stores that do open on the holiday are "staffed by team members with the willingness to work on this day as determined by their own personal situations."